Hypocrisy and embarrassment

I saw the embassy as more of a formality than an obstacle. After all, letters had been… I saw the embassy as more of a formality than an obstacle. After all, letters had been written, money paid, passports obtained and appointments made. Besides, they were traveling to the United States as part of an educational program.

I thought it was in the bag.

But, when it all ended, only one of the three Jamaican students who applied was granted a visa to come back with us to continue the program in the United States.

The event was an act of injustice, hypocrisy and incompetence. The day it happened stands firmly as the first time I’d ever looked at a friend and felt ashamed for being an American.

The month I spent in Jamaica was phenomenal. We traveled across the country, saw a great deal and picked up six credits studying globalization along the way. And all the while, Jamaican students, who proved invaluable as friends and guides as the trip progressed, accompanied us 16 American ones.

The plan was to bring them back with us a week or so after the trip, show them around Pittsburgh, and have them return to Jamaica with the next trip sponsored by the same organization. But first, they had to get visas.

In preparation, Amizade, the Global Service Learning Center, wrote a letter to the U.S. embassy explaining the program. They provided an itinerary for the stay and the flight they would take back to Jamaica. Our professor would act as primary host. Amizade officially accepted responsibility for the students both here and during their return to Jamaica.

Meanwhile, the students were busy filling out forms and applying for passports. Once this was done, they had to pay a nonrefundable fee of $115 U.S. – the annual per capita income in Jamaica is $2,820 U.S. – just for permission to request an interview appointment at the U.S. embassy. The interviews were granted within a week.

The two girls, Shaneek and Nadia, went first. The first walked into the interview room, where the interviewer sat behind glass. Discussion was carried out through microphones. Two minutes passed, during which the interviewer didn’t mention the letters written on her behalf, and then the answer was given: no, the United States doesn’t trust you. Next.

Second girl, same process, same answer.

Andrew’s interview lasted a bit longer. He pressed them to acknowledge the letters and explained the program. He was approved and granted a visa for a one-time entry into the United States.

And I’m grateful. I had a great time showing Andrew around the city.

But why were the girls rejected? Our foreign embassies seem to have a guilty-until-proven-innocent rule. They presume all visa candidates will run away until persuaded differently.

Specifically, why didn’t the embassy trust the girls who were part of my program? Well, they don’t have to say. They never have to give a reason for rejecting a visa application.

People can talk about this being a new age of security, and of the problem of illegal immigration. And I’ll give them an approving nod.

But to exaggerate these concepts in order to justify bureaucratic elitism and incompetence is wrong.

The trials facing international students staying in the United States don’t stop at the entry process, either. As of February 15, colleges had to begin gathering data, which would be entered into an Immigration and Naturalization Service database, about their students.

All foreign students are required to register. There are almost 1,700 at Pitt. Students from Islamic countries have a special registration.

When we consider this in light of the PATRIOT Act of almost two years ago, it almost seems to me that, in the eyes of our government, U.S. citizens are the only people in the world, and the rest of humanity can be clumped into a categorical “them.”

I love this country. Hell, I might even vote for Bush in 2004. But sometimes – OK, a lot of the time – we go too far. We forget that the rights we hold so dear aren’t ours because we’re American – they’re universal. “Endowed by our creator,” I think, is how Jefferson put it.

To Shaneek and Nadia: once again, I’m sorry.

To get into Jamaica, all Will Minton needed was his driver’s license and birth certificate. He can be reached for questions, comments, insights and suggestions at wminton@pittnews.com